Switch-frog.



H. F. ROAGH.

SWITCH FROG.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1907'.

91,538w Patented June 14, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Anvanhcr: Harry F. Roach H. P. 30mm.

swmrr mos. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1907. v

Patented June '14, 1910.

m A E w W... W 9 Mb m W & a U Q mw l; (i ii l N 6 M m a U MOM 6 la H. P. ROAGH.

SWITCH FROG.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1907.

Patented June 14, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET S.

Witnaasea have-aborugmwg Haw" F. RQaQh (3M v by 601,614 At h'g's.

ANBREW B. GRAHAM C0 PMOTD-LITHOGRXPHERS, WASHINGTON. O D- H. F. ROACH.

SWITCH FROG.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 26, 1907.

961,533, Patented June 14,1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Witnasaza h J lfnvanbarz Harry FRoach Abby's.

ANDREW B, GRAHAM 00v, HOW-LWWFNERS, WASHiNGTON. n 9

hurrah snares earner caries.

HARRY F. ROAGH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO CONTINUOUS RAIL &, SAFETY SIVITOI-I (30., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SWITCH-FROG.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY F. ROAOH, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Switch- Frogs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l is a plan view of my improved switch-frog; Fig. 2 is a similar View enlarged; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the hand switch shifting mechanism; Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the construction shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a detail view of the switchfrog; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the switch-frog showing the spring cooperating therewith so as to keep the main line open.

This invention relates to switch-frogs; namely, that type of railway structures in which a movable tongue is arranged at the intersection of the inside rails of two intersecting tracks so as to form practically a continuous rail when said tongue is in alinement with one of said inside track rails.

One object of my present invention is to provide a railway track structure of the character described in which the movable tongue is constructed in a novel manner.

Another object is to provide wheel-operated means of novel construction for actuating the tongue. And still another object .is to provide a novel locking means for holding the tongue in its adjusted positions.

In this present application the means for moving the tongue of the switch-frog by power other than that derived from a passing train is not shown, but it is obvious that the tongue of the switchfrog could be moved by manual or mechanical power such as electricity, compressed air, etc., and be operated from some distance, as from a switch tower.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the rails of the main track and 2 the rails of the siding.

3 and 3 are the movable switch-points of the switch, which switch-points are connect- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 26, 1907.

Patented June 14, 1314).

Serial No. 403,959.

ed by a rod l, said rod in this instance being operable by a hand lever 5.

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the main line is open. Should the lever 5 be operated and the switch-points 3 and 3 moved, the main line would be closed and the siding open.

6 indicates the tongue of my improved switchfrog, which is arranged at the intersection of the inside rails of the main line and siding. This tongue is substantially in the shape of an arrow-head, as shown in Fig. 7, and the shank of said tongue receives a pivot pin 7 mounted in a base plate 8. By referring to Fig. 2 it will be observed that the pivotal pin 7 of the tongue of the switch-frog is located beyond the terminals of the main and siding rails 1 and 2. In this manner the toe and heel portions of the tongue 6 are both located on the same side of the axis of movement, so that in service the strains and loads of passing trains can be Well taken care of. Tongue 6 is provided with a flared-out portion 6 at its toe end so as to increase the bearing area of the point, thus giving a wider base and more rigid support for the load superimposed upon the tongue. Tongue 6 is also provided with lugs or projections 6 which cooperate with overhanging stops 8 on the base plate 8, so that when the tongue 6 is moved to either extreme position it will be backed-up by the overhanging lugs 8 The overhanging portions of lugs 8 prevent the tongue 6 from tilting or canting under load. Tongue 6 is also provided with recesses 6 in its end for cooperating with looking projections, and with lugs or ears 6 for the attachment of operating levers.

As tongue 6 is to be operated from moving trains, I provide depressible bars or wheelopera'ted members along side of the rails l and 2, which bars are connected by appropriate levers to the tongue 6 to throw said tongue in the proper direction according to the track on which the train is traveling. As these bars are all substantially of the same construction I shall describe but one of them.

9 indicates a channel-shaped bar whose ends, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, are preferably bent down. Bars 9 are mounted upon links 10, which links are pivotally supported by the base flanges of the rails l or 2, as

the case may be. Links 10 are obliquely disposed so that when pressure is applied to the bar 9 said bar will swing on the axis of movement of the links 10 and move bodily in a longitudinal direction.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be observed that the lugs 6 of the tongue 6 have links 11 and 12 connected therewith. To the outer end of these links are connected bell crank levers 13 and 14 pivoted at 13 and 14 respectively. The opposite ends of these bell crank levers cooperate .with the bars 9 and 9 adjacent the main line and siding rails respectively. A link 15 connects the bell crank lever 13 with a lever 16-pivoted at 16, said lever being connected to a depressible bar 9 adjacent the siding rail 2.

Bell crank lever 14 is connected by a link 17 to a lever 18 pivoted at 18 said lever 18 cooperating with a depressible bar 9 arranged adjacent the main rail.

On Fig. 2 arrows indicate the direction of movement of the bars 9 from their raised to their lowered position, and the words Up and Down indicate the position of said bars. If a train on the main line was traveling in either direction, it would be free to do so as the tongue 6 would be in proper position. Should the train be on the siding it would, upon approaching the tongue 6, depress either of the bars 9 or 9 (and raise the bars 9 and 9), and said bars 9 or 9 moving in the direction of their respective arrows-would throw the tongue 6 over, so that said tongue would form a connection between the rails 2. The bars 9 and 9 being elevated would of course be in a position to throw the tongue 6 to open the main line when either of said bars are depressed.

From the above description it will be observed that there are four depressible bars, two constituting a pair, which operate in unison in connection with a train on the main line or siding track respectively,the bars of the pair being arranged on opposite sides of the frog switch tongue 6. Then one bar of a pair is depressed it will, of course, de-

' press its companion and raise the bars ofthe other pair.

Each of the bars 9 and 9 lying in front of the point of the switch carries locking projections 19 which cooperate with recesses 6 in the point of the tongue 6. These lock ing projections and the recesses with which they cooperate are substantially V-shaped so that there will be no interference between the locking projection and the tongue 6 when the parts are moved. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2 the locking.

projection on the bar 9 fits in one of the recesses 6 but shouldeither of the-bars 9 or 9 be depressed so as to throw the tongue 6,

the bar 9 would be raised, causing its looking projection to recede from the recesswith which it cooperates. However, should the tically an extension of the bar 9 in that it is connected thereto and movable therewith,is mounted so as to. be shifted toward and from the rail 1. I so mount this bar 9 because in some cases it may be desirable'to throw the tongue 6 as the train approachesswitch points 3 and 3*. "Should a car or engine, however, run up close to the points 3 and 3 so as to depress the bar 9 andit was desired to switch the engine or car onto the siding, it is obvious thatthe bar 9 -niust be released in order to be elevated as the bars 9 and 9 are depressed. To shift the bar 9 from the switch rod 4, I provide said switch rod with an extension 4 which has a slot and pin connection with a link 20, said link 20 connecting two levers 21. The ends'of these levers, see Figs. 4 and 5, haveslot and pin connections with the under-sides of brackets 22, see Fig. 6, on which the links 10 are mounted. These brackets are connected with a bar 23 slidingly mounted in guideways 24 secured to the under-side of the rail 1. In this manner, when the switch rod 4 is operated to switch a train onto the siding, the depressible bar 9 is shifted to an inoperative position.

In Fig.3 I have shown a modified form of my invention in which a spring 25 operating upon the tongue 6 tendsto hold said tongue in a position where the main line track is always open. However, when the train goes on the siding, bars 9 and 9 heretofore described will be operated so as to throw the tongue and open up the siding. In this modified form the depressible bars 9 and 9 on the main line are dispensed with. The base plate 8 heretofore referred to is preferably made in the form of a casting with tread portions 8 constituting terminals of the main and siding rails, cast integral therewith. It is obvious, however, that plate Smay berolled and the treads boltedthereto. Inthis manner these terminals always bear afixed relation to the movable-tongue and there can'be no interferencewith the movement of the tongue from creepage of the rails. These cast tread portions are preferably provided with tongue extensions. 8 to which the webs of the rails may be bolted. The flanges of the rails, however may be bolted to the base: of the casting '8, and in factthis form of connectionmight besufiicient to prevent creeping movement of the rails .if the tread extensions 8 were dispensed with. I prefer, however, to use the tread extensions 8* because they ofier solid abutments and easy means of attachment for the ends of the rails.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a switch-frog, a base having integral stop projections, a tongue pivotally mounted at one of its terminals to said base and cooperating with said projections, means for moving said tongue, and reciprocating locking devices operating to lock the tongue against movement in its different positions.

2. In a switch-frog, a base having integral overhanging stop projections, a tongue pivotally mounted at one of its terminals to said base and being provided with lateral projections designed to fit under the overhanging stop projections, means for moving said tongue, and reciprocating locking devices for locking said tongue in its different positions.

3. In a switch-frog, a base having integral overhanging stop projections, a tongue pivotally mounted at one of its terminals to said base and cooperating with said stop projections which serve to lock said tongue against upward movement in its different positions, means for moving said tongue, and reciprocating devices for locking the tongue against lateral movement in its different positions.

4:. In a switch-frog, main and siding rails, a base plate, a tongue pivotally mounted on said base plate, depressible bars adjacent the main and siding rails for operating said tongue, and reciprocating locking devices operated by said depressiblebars for lockingsaid tongue in its different positions.

5. In a switch-frog, a base plate, a tongue pivotally mounted on said base plate, main and siding rails connected to said base plate, depressible bars adjacent said rails and connected together in pairs on opposite sides of said tongue, whereby when the pair of said bars cooperating with the main rail is depressed the switch tongue will be moved to open the main line, and a pair of bars cooperating with the siding rail will be ele vated in readiness to operate the tongue to open the siding when a train enters the siding, and reciprocating locking devices actuated by said depressible bars for engaging the switch tongue to lock the same in its difierent positions.

6. In a switch-frog, a pivotally mounted tongue arranged at the intersection of the inside rails of two intersecting tracks, longitudinally movable wheel-operated members operatively connected to said tongue and arranged alongside of the rails that cooperate with the toe end of the tongue, and locking devices carried by said members for engaging the tongue to hold it in its adjusted positions.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this twenty third day of November HARRY F. ROACH. Witnesses F. R. CORNWALL, GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

